How to write a moving quote: a guide for moving companies
A clear quote wins more jobs and protects your margin. This guide lists the information to collect, the cost items to calculate and how to turn an accepted quote into a job without retyping anything.
1. Collect the right information before you price
Most wrong quotes start with an incomplete request. Before you give a price you always need the same data, collected the same way for every customer.
- Pickup and delivery address, plus any stops in between
- Preferred date and how flexible the customer is
- Floor, lift access and the walking distance from where the truck can park
- An inventory of furniture or an estimated volume in cubic metres
- Special items: pianos, safes, artwork, large appliances
- Services needed: packing, disassembly and reassembly, storage
2. On-site survey or remote estimate
For large or complex moves, an on-site survey is still the most reliable way to estimate volume and time. For small moves, photos and a detailed list are often enough. Whatever the method, keep the photos and notes in the same place where you build the quote, so whoever plans the job sees exactly what the estimator saw.
3. The cost items in a moving quote
A solid moving quote breaks the price into lines instead of one number. The customer understands what they pay for, and you can change one line without recalculating everything.
- Labour: number of movers times estimated hours
- Vehicles: type and number of trucks, mileage or route distance
- Access: stairs without a lift, long carries, a ladder lift or hoist
- Materials: boxes, tape, blankets, wrapping
- Permits: parking suspensions or no-parking signs where needed
- Extras: furniture assembly, special items, storage, insurance
4. Clear terms prevent disputes
State what is included and what is not, how long the offer is valid, how payment works and what happens if the real volume differs from the declared one. Clear terms mean fewer arguments on moving day and when the invoice arrives.
5. Send it, get it signed, turn it into a job
Speed matters: the first company to reply with a professional quote is more likely to win the job. Send the offer as a PDF and ask the customer to accept it with an online signature instead of waiting for a confirmation email.
In MovesFlow the quote starts from the customer's request, is sent and signed online, and becomes a confirmed job with everything already filled in: addresses, date, price lines and documents. From there it goes straight to planning, invoicing and payment.